


Before (what you've lost)

by Camellia_Bee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gen, I may expand this at some point, Magic, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Superpowers, honestly it's more like a cross between the two, inspired by the Turn Back Time MV, sort of unclear whether it's sci-fi or fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24697480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camellia_Bee/pseuds/Camellia_Bee
Summary: they were free, before.now?
Kudos: 10





	Before (what you've lost)

**Author's Note:**

> This is just another short aesthetic piece that I had to write after watching the Turn Back Time music video about 50 times in two days... enjoy

He had always been free to move wherever he pleased, before. They had made him crash, brought him to the ground in an attempt to trap him. But he was evasive and clever; he escaped. Not without consequences, of course - he is still careful, so that they do not find him again and cage him. He has a mission he cannot fail.

Ten will free his friends.

*

He was one with the sky and the wind, before. He flew without a care, letting himself be carried where the breeze took him. They had taken that from him; severed his wings and put him in this place where he cannot feel the wind. He can still see a small piece of the sky far above him, but it only serves to remind him of what he can no longer have.

Yukhei longs for the winds.

*

He saw everything as clearly as if it were right in front of his eyes, before. They had limited his vision and made the world dark - the garden where they had placed him is beautiful, but he cannot see beyond its walls. He spends much of his time in the well, for the vines on the walls whisper of things he can no longer understand, and the earth is too still under his feet. 

Kunhang drowns in the darkness.

*

He had the strength to endure everything, before. They had weakened him and tied him with bonds he could no longer break, chained him down and laughed as he struggled to escape. He used to try to pull himself out till he bled; now he is still and silent. Perhaps there is a way to regain his power, but if there is, he does not know it.

Sicheng does not let himself weep.

*

He used to play with the world around him, before. They had put him in a little box and given him nothing; the only things for him to change are the plain walls. He covers them with colors and patterns and words, distorts their shape until they inevitably snap back to their square, boring whiteness. He supposes he should be thankful that they always change back. It gives him the chance to paint them again.

Yangyang distracts himself with new worlds to keep from missing the old one.

*

He drifted in time, before. They had restricted him, made him exist in only one moment and progress with the rest of the world. He feels trapped, somehow, not being able to see the few seconds before and after. They unlock him sometimes, to study him, but never all the way, and never for long. Still, he cherishes those moments - they are the only times he truly feels alive.

Dejun watches the too-still world and feels like crawling out of his skin.

*

He could move anything with just a thought, before. They had stopped him and then muddled his mind, confused him so that he no longer knew what was real. His cell has white walls that are too soft to be walls and lights that make his eyes hurt. The broken mirror on the ground is the only thing keeping him sane; he can look at it and see a reflection he can trust, or pick it up and feel the smooth, cold, solid surface. There were even times when, in terror that his surroundings might not be real, he used a shard of the mirror to carve slashes into the walls - the cuts bled ominous black threads, but it reassured him. He’s broken the lights too. They dangle and spit sparks at him. He tries to move the lights and the fragments of mirror with his mind like he used to be able to, but they refuse to budge.

Kun tests his reality over and over and feels more hopeless each time.


End file.
